SACRAMENTO, CA, September 25, 2012… The basic human right to safe,
clean, affordable and accessible water became part of state policy today when
Governor Brown signed AB 685.

A.B. 685 directs relevant
state agencies to advance the implementation of this policy when those agencies
make administrative decisions pertinent to the use of water for human
consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes.

For years, grassroots activists, community leaders, faith-based groups, and dedicated
environmental justice, public health and environmental organizations, drawn
together by a shared commitment to improve access to safe drinking water in our
poorest communities, have been advocating at the local, regional, and state
level, combating powerful, entrenched interests determined not to change the
status quo in California water policy.

On
August 29, legislators from regions all over the state—from Coachella Valley to
San Diego, Fresno to the Central Coast, and San Gabriel to Marin County to Berkeley—
stood up to support this bill and through their speeches echoed the voices of communities
challenged to ensure safe water.

the ability of all communities to access safe, affordable water for
drinking, fishing, recreational and cultural uses.

About EJCW

EJCW
is a statewide coalition
of grassroots groups and intermediary organizations building a collective,
community-based movement for democratic water allocation, management, and
policy development in California. EJCW empowers low-income communities and
people of color throughout California to advocate for clean, safe, and
affordable water for their communities.

We
envision all communities throughout California having access to safe and
affordable water, clean rivers, streams, and bays for personal, cultural,
ceremonial, and recreational uses.

EJCW is a Bridge-Builder

EJCW plays a
critical bridge-building role in connecting grassroots communities and
statewide policy advocates across California. We maintain a strong presence in
Sacramento, and have conducted many successful advocacy campaigns. We are
coordinating a statewide message on the importance of identifying and meeting
the water needs of the most underserved communities in California. By
connecting our members to each other and potential allies throughout the state,
as well as tackling structural inequity in how California’s water resources are
managed, we are building a broad movement for water justice.

EJCW employs
various strategies to accomplish our objectives, including policy analysis and
advocacy, community capacity-building and advocacy training, and fostering new
collaborations. We also provide
invaluable technical assistance to our members in grassroots communities by
offering support for organizing, playing an essential fiscal agent role, and
building community capacity through training and partnerships. EJCW is a voice for low-income people of
color in Sacramento and has created a seat at the Sacramento policy table by
building the capacity of local groups to play a strategic role in state and
regional water policy battles.

Current Campaigns:

Human Right to Water - EJCW is working with our members and allies to pass the Human Right to Water legislative package, which includes:

AB685 (Eng) Human Right to Water - This bill would
establish the human right to water as a statewide policy priority, ensuring all
Californians have access to safe, affordable, and sufficient drinking water.

GOVERNOR SIGNED AB 685 ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2012!!!

Clean Water for the Central Coast - EJCW is working with our members and allies to ensure that the agriculture industry in California's Central Coast does not continue to contaminate the region's groundwater, upon which residents rely for their drinking water.

Integrated Regional Water Management Plans (IRWMPs) - Integrated Regional Water Management Plans (IRMWP) are comprehensive
planning documents meant to encourage regional strategies for management of
water resources. In
2008 EJCW
won a major victory in securing 10% of IRWMP funds to be set-aside for projects
in Disadvantaged Communities (DACs).

Currently, there are many challenges in grassroots communities with
respect to engagement in IRWMPs, and ultimately, in accessing the dollars that
have been specifically set-aside for DAC projects.

EJCW helps to facilitate a collective
statewide IRWMP strategy, ensuring that the 10% is actually given to DACs, finding
resources to help communities organize and participate in regional IRWMPs, and
providing support in cases where the community process gets paralyzed.